CAIR-Chicago to Library: Adhere to Library Bill of Rights

CAIR-Chicago PILI Fellow Elisa Jillson represented a woman in a complaint against a local suburban library. The woman contacted CAIR-Chicago after she was denied permission to put up an informational display on Ramadan despite the fact that displays on Ramadan and other religious holidays have been permitted in the past.

At this year’s request, a new library director told the woman that she could not post her informational display.

After CAIR-Chicago wrote to the library on the woman’s behalf and the woman presented wide community support, the library agreed to reserve a space for the Ramadan display.

The letter read in part, “We are confident that the Library is eager to treat all educational displays equally and to provide all patrons with equal access to the community display case. One of the fundamental precepts of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is that a government entity should refrain in almost every instance from discriminating against speech based on its content.”

CAIR-Chicago also wrote to the library asking it to revise its displays and exhibits policy to include a statement that the library will abide by the non-discrimination provisions of the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights.